Whose outfit will new pope wear?
Italian ecclesiastical tailor, Raniero Mancinelli, 86, poses at the door of his shop in Borgo Pio, a neighborhood close to the Vatican, on Nov. 19, 2024. (Photo: AFP)
For decades, one Rome tailor has been making the white cassock new popes wear immediately after election, but this time, he has a competition.The Gammarelli tailors traditionally prepare three outfits — short, medium, and tall — to fit new pontiffs, whatever their size, but say the Vatican has asked them not to offer anything this time.With just hours to go before cardinals are locked into the Sistine Chapel to elect Pope Francis' successor, rival tailor Raniero Mancinelli is offering his own set, although the Vatican has not asked him to."I have to deliver them today or tomorrow... They have to be ready before the conclave to be used if needed," 86-year-old Mancinelli said on May 5.Mancinelli made clothes for several popes in the past, but never had the honor of making the first outfit worn when the pope addressed the public from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica.He is hand-making the lightweight wool cassocks, sashes and white zucchettos -- or skullcaps -- to be delivered to the Vatican before the conclave, which starts on May 7.Mancinelli is also making three sizes to cover all possibilities.But his are "small, medium or large", to fit different girths rather than heights, as the length will not be visible when the pontiff first appears.Lorenzo Gammarelli told last week his family-run tailors had been readying to make the three virgin cassocks, as per tradition, but was "told by the Vatican that they have taken care of it."He said he assumed the vestments for the new pope would "be those of the previous conclaves, because each time we made three robes and they used only one."But Mancinelli, who has been a tailor for 70 years in his historic shop on the Borgo Pio, a stone's throw from the Vatican, hopes otherwise.
An offering
Mancinelli has the necessary skills, having worked under seven popes.
"With so many priests, bishops, and cardinals coming and going, it's hard to remember them all," he said.--ucanews.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump tells Iran to make deal or face 'more brutal' attacks
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump urged Iran Friday to make a deal or face "even more brutal" attacks by Israel, as Washington said it was helping its key ally defend itself against Iranian retaliation. But Trump also kept the door open for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program, as the president who boasted he had "no wars" in his first term tries to avoid getting dragged into one in his second. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday, a White House official told AFP. He said earlier that Israel had let him know in advance about its strikes on Iran's military top brass and nuclear facilities. After Iran launched barrages of ballistic missiles on Friday, the United States was "assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel," two US officials told AFP, without giving detail on the extent of Washington's role. The US president also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who both stressed the need for dialogue. He also reportedly spoke to Saudi and Qatari leaders. Trump attended a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room as his team worked on the crisis. An aide posted a black and white picture of a grim-faced, purse-lipped Trump striding through the West Wing. But the flurry of meetings and diplomatic calls came as Trump trod a tightrope between backing Israel and seeking the nuclear deal he promised he could reach with Iran. Israel struck Iran just hours after Trump publicly urged Netanyahu to hold off on an attack, with the first missiles landing as the US president hosted a picnic for lawmakers on the White House South Lawn. "There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday. 'Excellent' "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left... JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," he said. Trump said that he "gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal." But in a series of calls with US media later, he wavered between backing Israel's "excellent" strikes and calling for a return to the negotiating table. "I think it's been excellent," ABC News quoted him as saying about Israel's offensive. "And there's more to come. A lot more." Then shortly afterwards he stressed the possibility of a second chance, in an interview with NBC: "They missed the opportunity to make a deal. Now, they may have another opportunity. We'll see." Trump also gave mixed signals about the extent of US involvement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Thursday that the United States was "not involved" in the strikes and warned Iran not to retaliate against any US forces in the region. Trump, however, said on Truth Social on Friday that Israel had acted because a 60-day deadline that he had set for Iran had run out, implying that the two acted in concert. He also boasted about the "finest" US equipment that Israel had used -- a day before a huge parade in Washington, on Trump's 79th birthday, featuring US aircraft and tanks. Trump earlier told Fox News he had been aware of the Israeli strikes before they happened, and stressed that Tehran "cannot have a nuclear bomb." During Trump's first term, he pulled the United States out of a landmark agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. The United States and Iran have had several rounds of talks since Trump returned to the White House, but after initially striking an optimistic tone, the discussions have foundered in recent days.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Trump Warns Iran Amid Israel Strikes, Urges Nuclear Deal
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump urged Iran Friday to make a deal or face "even more brutal" attacks by Israel, as Washington said it was helping its key ally defend itself against Iranian retaliation. But Trump also kept the door open for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program, as the president who boasted he had "no wars" in his first term tries to avoid getting dragged into one in his second. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday, a White House official told AFP. He said earlier that Israel had let him know in advance about its strikes on Iran's military top brass and nuclear facilities. After Iran launched barrages of ballistic missiles on Friday, the United States was "assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel," two US officials told AFP, without giving detail on the extent of Washington's role. The US president also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who both stressed the need for dialogue. He also reportedly spoke to Saudi and Qatari leaders. Trump attended a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room as his team worked on the crisis. An aide posted a black and white picture of a grim-faced, purse-lipped Trump striding through the West Wing. But the flurry of meetings and diplomatic calls came as Trump trod a tightrope between backing Israel and seeking the nuclear deal he promised he could reach with Iran. Israel struck Iran just hours after Trump publicly urged Netanyahu to hold off on an attack, with the first missiles landing as the US president hosted a picnic for lawmakers on the White House South Lawn. "There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday. 'Excellent' "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left... JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," he said. Trump said that he "gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal." But in a series of calls with US media later, he wavered between backing Israel's "excellent" strikes and calling for a return to the negotiating table. "I think it's been excellent," ABC News quoted him as saying about Israel's offensive. "And there's more to come. A lot more." Then shortly afterwards he stressed the possibility of a second chance, in an interview with NBC: "They missed the opportunity to make a deal. Now, they may have another opportunity. We'll see." Trump also gave mixed signals about the extent of US involvement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Thursday that the United States was "not involved" in the strikes and warned Iran not to retaliate against any US forces in the region. Trump, however, said on Truth Social on Friday that Israel had acted because a 60-day deadline that he had set for Iran had run out, implying that the two acted in concert. He also boasted about the "finest" US equipment that Israel had used -- a day before a huge parade in Washington, on Trump's 79th birthday, featuring US aircraft and tanks. Trump earlier told Fox News he had been aware of the Israeli strikes before they happened, and stressed that Tehran "cannot have a nuclear bomb." During Trump's first term, he pulled the United States out of a landmark agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. The United States and Iran have had several rounds of talks since Trump returned to the White House, but after initially striking an optimistic tone, the discussions have foundered in recent days.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Israel fire service says responding to 'major' incidents from Iran missile attack
JERUSALEM: Israel's firefighting service said its teams were responding to several "major" incidents resulting from an Iranian missile attack, including efforts to rescue people trapped in a high-rise building. "Firefighting crews are handling several major incidents, mainly in the Dan region" around Tel Aviv, a statement said, adding that "firefighters are working in a high-rise building to rescue trapped individuals and extinguish a fire, as well as responding to two additional destruction sites." AFP footage from central Tel Aviv showed fire and smoke rising from a condo tower, a large hole ripped open by an explosion at its base. After Israel targeted military and nuclear sites across Iran, the Islamic Republic sent a fleet of drones, followed by two salvoes of missiles. "In both series, less than 100 missiles were fired, most of which were intercepted by air defense systems", Israel's military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a statement. "There are a limited number of hits on buildings, some from shrapnel from the interception", he added. Immediately after the first salvo, a thick plume of smoke billowed over the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv, an AFP journalist reported. A residential building next to the defence ministry in Tel Aviv was also struck. Resident Chen Gabizon, 30, told AFP he ran to the building's underground shelter after receiving an alert notification. "After a few minutes, we just heard a very big explosion, everything was shaking, smoke, dust, everything was all over the place", he said, adding he would stay with family or at a hotel for a while. AFPTV images of the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan showed a street littered with debris of damaged nearby buildings whose facades were torn by a missile's blast. First responders worked to remove a dozen vehicles destroyed by bits of fallen concrete, metal bars and wooden planks from a destroyed residential building. A spokesman for Israel's first responders agency, the Magen David Adom, said on private Israeli television channel 12 that 21 people were injured by the missiles, including two in serious condition.
